The parking lot at the Vida Cannabis facility in Stellarton has been filled lately as construction work on the interior of the building continues. - Kent MacDonald

Zenabis, the licensed producer of cannabis products, expects to start production in Stellarton as early as spring time, according to the company’s lead on the project, May Nazair.

“The heavy lifting is pretty much done,” said Nazair in a phone interview from the Zenabis office in British Columbia. “The facility is completely built out for the section that we’ve converted, and we feel confident that we meet the Health Canada and cannabis regulations.”

Nazair says that the company submitted its confirmation of readiness report to Health Canada in December is expecting to hear back within the next two or three weeks.

If they get the go-ahead, then cannabis production at Acadia Avenue would have a green-light.

“We do have quite a bit of experience within the regulatory framework,” said Nazair referring to the company’s three existing locations in Delta and Langley B.C., and in Atholville, N.B.

The news ought to be reassuring to those in the town of Stellarton who have been hoping for an infusion of jobs in the area.

The company’s Atholville location began production in August 2017, and within a year it had 100 employees. By the following December they were at 150.

In early December The News reported a single job posting on the Zenabis website for a lead production manager at the facility which is hoped to being hundreds of well-paying jobs to the area.

There are currently six jobs posted for the Stellarton location.

The Purchasing and Finance Clerk and Shipping and Receiving Clerk positions each carry a salary of $16-18 per-hour. There are also positions for HR Supervisor, Lead Grower, System Administrator and a Recruiter.

“You’ll see more in the next few weeks,” said Nazair. “We will be going on a hiring spree very shortly.”

Currently, only one-third of the 255,000 square-foot facility has been converted for cannabis production, but Nazair says that the company intends to continue developing.